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kl
itsbruce
Some people only apply their intelligence to the things that most interest them (or are important to them) and nothing else. Can also be an empathy problem there (if it doesn't matter to them, it doesn't matter).
One of the most jaw-dropping examples of "Not interested in anything outside my speciality" I've ever seen was on Antiques Roadshow. Some guy had brought in a pair of silver spoons and the silverware expert was really exited.
"I'm thrilled you brought these in. These spoons were made in the late 19th century for an officer in the United States Merchant Marine..."
long explanation of what marked them out as being U.S. ship's officer's spoons
"And the most delightful thing about them is that the officer has had his name embossed on the handles. There's his name: 'JIM CROW'".
...
Wow. You learned so much about the history of American spoons, but pretty much everything else about that history just wafted past you.
And yes, that kind of selective ignorance is common but we tend to find it more surprising in academics.